Thursday, October 23, 2014

Observations 69

My occasional blog series "Observations" was created to be an outlet to share a variety of topics that pop into my field of view as a result of a condition that many bloggers are afflicted with known as "blogger's eyes". In this state we view the world on the constant look-out for topics on which to write about. Today's blog came about from random odds 'n ends of things that I have noticed over the past few weeks.
  • It has come to this. There is a show on cable TV called "Fat Guys in the Woods".
  • The other day I came back to my office after a meeting and there was a flagrant floret of broccoli sitting in the hallway just outside of my door. Reminded me of the scene with the horse's head in the Godfather movie.
  • Why do people who come to meetings late or leave meetings early always seem to let the door slam behind them so that they maximally disrupt things?
  • A Russian colleague of mine included the following bon mot in a recent email to me, "Well, live is much stronger then we think about it, is not it?" How can you argue with a sentiment like that?
  • In the old days there was Johnny Carson. He could be serious, light, roguish, or even silly at times, but he always seemed to display charm, grace, and dignity. Today's crop of late night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, more often than not are so awkward they make me cringe. They just don't seem to possess that easy, suave showmanship that pulls the viewer in.